Home
by Tsarina Torment
Summary: After killing Segun, Pell and Shadow have nowhere to go. Injured, they follow Elian and Aurora in the hope of a welcome in a village, something which is a lot to ask for, as a night dragon and her rider. The Quest may be over, but it is not complete.
1. Prologue

**I do not own **_Dragon Orb_**. Mark Robson does.**

**As most of you reading this are probably reading it because you have me on author alert, I'll be nice and give you a brief description of the plot and major characters so you have some idea as to what's going on.**

_**This is set in a world called Areth, which is a parallel world and has many dragons. There are four 'real' dragons, not including the ice and water dragons which do not feature in the books and are only mentioned once. These are:**_

_**Day Dragons**__**: Cornfield blue. These are commonly referred to as the bravest of the dragons. They are the only type of dragon capable of breathing fire, and can insert healing properties into their fire, which works on anything except a night dragon (see below) as there is an ongoing feud between the two types. The enclave, or home, of the day dragons who have found their riders is in North Racafi (Africa in our world).**_

_**Night Dragons**__**: Charcoal black, with intense orange eyes, these are the biggest and strongest of all the dragons. Some of them, such as the main night dragon, Whispering Shadow, have mastered the art of 'silent flight' which can help them blend into the night. They have contempt for the other types of dragons, believing them to be inferior. Their enclave is in Isaa (Asia) amongst the highest mountains in the whole of Areth (the Himalayas).**_

_**Dusk Dragons**__**: One of the rarer breeds of dragon, they are silver-blue with silver eyes. They can turn themselves invisible and shield their minds. They are neutral in the feud between the day and night dragons, and are considered 'insignificant' by the night dragons as their enclave is so small. The enclave is situated in Ratalusia (Australia).**_

_**Dawn Dragons**__**: The rarest breed of dragon, dawn dragons are golden with matching eyes. Their abilities include creating a gateway between Areth and Earth at dawn which can speed up their journeys as they can chose when and where in Areth they re-emerge as long as it is not back in time. They can also glow very brightly and heal all dragons except dusk dragons, as they are polar opposites. Their enclave is situated in South Cemaria (South America).**_

_**Their type is determined not by their parents, but the time which they were born. If they were born during the day, they become a day dragon, night, night dragon, dusk, dusk dragon and dawn, dawn dragon.**_

_**The story follows four young dragonriders and their dragons, one from each enclave, who are given a quest to save dragonkind by collecting four orbs, one for each type of dragon. They are given a poem by the Oracle, who is dying and needs to be restored, which is as follows:**_

_Beyond time's bright arrow, live-saving breath,_

_Love's life-force giving, slays final death._

_Orbs must be given, four in all._

_Orbs to renew me, stilling death's call._

_Delve 'neath the surface, life's transport hides,_

_Healing, restoring – bright river tides._

_Enter the sun's steps; she no more tears._

_Attain ye the orb; vanquish the fears._

_Release the dark orb – death brings me life._

_Take brave ones' counsel, 'ware ye the knife._

_Exercise caution, stay pure and heed,_

_Yield into justice: truth will succeed._

_Ever protected, the dusk orb lies_

_Behind the cover, yet no disguise._

_Afterlife image, unreal yet real,_

_Lives in the shadow, waits to reveal._

_Life after death from death before life,_

_Enter the new age, through deadly strife._

_Greatest of orbs is – dragon's device._

_Gifted forever: life's sacrifice._

_**The main characters in the story are as follows:**_

_**Elian**__**: Elian is fourteen season rotations (years) old and is a fair-haired boy from south Racafi (Africa). He is often perceived by his companions to be naïve, and appears to have the best medical knowledge out of the main characters. He rides a dawn dragon.**_

_**Aurora**__**: Elian's dawn dragon, her name is often shortened to Ra. She has quite an aloof personality, but is a valuable companion and cares deeply for Elian.**_

_**Kira**__**: A dark-skinned tribeswoman who is also fourteen season rotations, she has long black hair which is tightly braided, and is from north Racafi. Before she met her dusk dragon, she was training to be a hunter and as such has a hunter's cunning.**_

_**Longfang**__**: Kira's dusk dragon, his name is often shortened to Fang. He is the oldest of the four main dragons, and is relatively easy-going.**_

_**Nolita**__**: A blonde haired, blue-eyed fourteen season rotations old girl from North Cemaria, she has two big fears – dragons and heights. Unfortunately for her, she is the destined rider of a day dragon and has to conquer her fears in order for the quest to succeed.**_

_**Firestorm**__**: Nolita's day dragon, his name is often shortened to Fire. When first met in the story, he is very depressed as Nolita will not go near him, instead choosing to run away. He doesn't give up on her, however, and does everything he can to make her feel comfortable around him.**_

_**Pell**__**: The oldest of the four young dragonriders, he is sixteen season rotations and has been with his night dragon since he was fourteen. He is initially very arrogant, attempting to take leadership in the group and inadvertently jeopardises the quest when he misinterprets the third verse.**_

_**Whispering Shadow**__**: Pell's night dragon, she is always referred to as Shadow. Like Pell, she is highly ambitious, although more likely to listen to reason. Unusually large, fast and strong, even for a night dragon, she has mastered the art of silent flight to such a degree that she can confuse other dragon's perceptive of proximity.**_

_**Jack Miller**__**: A WW1 pilot, the young dragonriders encounter him almost every time they go through Aurora's gateways to France. He proves to be crucial in the Quest and often gets treated strangely for involving 'dragons' in his mission reports. He eventually journeys through a gateway to Areth and stays there when he meets his day dragon. It is he who is first seen to solve the poem.**_

_**Segun**__**: The leader of the night dragon enclave, when he hears of the Great Quest, he is determined to take any lengths to stop it from succeeding, even killing the opposition.**_

_**Widewing**__**: Segun's night dragon, she is the biggest and most powerful of all the night dragons, the only one that is noted to be on Shadow's level of skill and speed.**_

_**Barnabas**__**: The leader of the day dragon enclave, he is more than willing to help the four young dragonriders in the Great Quest.**_

_**Kasau**__**: A dragonhunter obsessed with killing Aurora, and later Fang, Fire and Shadow, despite the fact that she has a rider and so is legally protected, he is possessed by a 'joining' or demon, which has a deep hatred for dragons. He is eaten by Shadow.**_

_**Husam**__**: A dragonhunter under Kasau, he often has second thoughts about the hunt, realising that Kasau is not 'human'. When Kasau is eaten he is possessed by the joining, but is later exorcised by other demons who hate the joining within him.**_

_**Tembo**__**: A dragonhunter who is fiercely loyal to Husam, he is muscular and relies on Husam's intelligence to lead them on hunts. He is worried when he realises that Husam changes after Kasau's death, and so is relieved when he is exorcised.**_

_**The Oracle**__**: The dying being that gave the dragons and their riders their life purpose, it charged Nolita, Pell, Kira, Elian, Firestorm, Longfang, Aurora and Shadow with its rebirth.**_

_**The four orbs which are retrieved are:**_

_**Day**__** – Orb of Blood: when first picked up by Nolita it absorbed some of her and Fire's blood. It later attracted many predators.**_

_**Night**__** – Orb of Death: supposed to be created from Shadow's heart, Segun's first plot means that it is instead created from a different night dragon's heart. At sundown it attracted life forms and killed them all, apart from Pell and Shadow.**_

_**Dusk**__** – Orb of Vision: originally Fang's left eye, it gave Kira the power to see wherever she wanted, and was the first orb to be used for their benefit.**_

_**Dawn**__** – Orb of Rebirth: the sterile egg of another dawn dragon, Blaze, this healed everything it touched, including restoring Fang's left eye.**_

_**Each of these was thrown into the Oracle's well, and a further sacrifice was required – the life of a dragon and rider. This was supposed to be Elian and Aurora, but Nolita and Firestorm took their place, as proof that Nolita did not fear death.**_

_**The dusk and dawn orbs were the hardest to get to the Oracle, as the entire night dragon enclave stood in their way at this point. Pell and Nolita convinced the other enclaves to join the four of them and there was a massive aerial battle to distract the night dragons from Elian and Kira sneaking into the Oracle's cave on Fang's back. Nolita and Firestorm stayed to protect the two dawn dragons, while Pell and Shadow were charged with sneaking into the ranks of the night dragons, despite their status as outlaws for defying Segun, and keeping Segun and Widewing out of the fight. This fanfiction starts during this battle, although I've changed the ending. I you want to know the real one just PM me or ask me in a review.  
><strong>_

"Normal conversation"

"_Dragon/rider communication – a mental link"_

"_**Oracle talking"**_

Prologue – Pell and Shadow vs. Segun and Widewing

"_There they go,"_ Pell observed, peering from his hiding place under the thick pine trees. _"Just as Barnabas predicted. Let's wait until the majority has passed before we launch. Can you make out Widewing amongst all those dragons?"_

"_No, not yet," _Shadow observed. _"But I imagine he will be towards the back of the main force. Segun likes to direct from a point of safety rather than lead from the front."_

"_Barnabas read Segun perfectly,"_ Pell added. _"I thought the old day dragonrider might attempt a parley, but he was sure Segun wouldn't want to talk. He predicted Segun would launch into a full-scale attack. He was right. There's no way they'll avoid a fight with so many dragons in the air. Do you think Jack's other world tactics will work?"_

"_They are novel enough to give the day dragons the advantage of surprise early on,"_ she said. _"But the superior numbers, size and sheer momentum of the night dragons will break them. The day dragons have ever been brave, but their attempted show of strength is about as clever as a human taunting a lion with a bloody haunch of meat. The end result will be ugly."_

Pell was not so sure. Having seen the result of Firestorm's unorthodox tactics against the night dragon in the mountains ten day earlier, he could see how Jack's tactics would prove devastating if executed well. If the day dragons could inflict enough damage in the first few moments, the momentum could change very quickly.

He continued to watch as black dragons continued to darken the sky above. Finally, he judged the time to be right.

"_Ready?"_ he asked.

"_It is time,"_ Shadow confirmed.

Pell ran to her side, leaped into the saddle and hooked his arms and legs through his newly-fitted fighting straps. No sooner was he settled than Shadow started to move towards the open ground. Even before she had fully emerged from the cover of the green canopy, she began to accelerate into a run. They burst from the trees at speed and within a few more paces, Shadow had extended her wings and they were in the air and climbing.

As Pell had expected, none of the night dragons, or their riders, noticed them climbing up to join the throng from beneath. Everyone was focused on the incoming lines of day dragons. They powered up amongst the other night dragons without attracting any attention to themselves, but Pell knew all too well that this was the easy part of what they were trying to do. Somehow they needed to single out Widewing quickly, preferably before the two sides clashed, although that seemed unlikely. At current closure, Pell could see that, at best, they had a couple of minutes before the fighting began. When that happened, he and Shadow would be in danger from both sides.

Once amongst the huge flight of night dragons the noise was incredible. The _whooshing_ sound of a dragon's wings had been special to Pell from the first time he had experienced it. Flying in formation with Fang, Aurora and Firestorm had added a different dimension to the sound, but this was like a raging ocean in a hurricane, though even the comparison did not do the sound justice. It was awe-inspiring to think that he was flying in the midst of what was possibly the most dangerous force in Areth.

Aside from the sound, the air was choppy with downdrafts from the wings of dragons above them, and turbulence from the passage of dragons ahead. They bumped and jostled through layer after layer of dragon wings, weaving and dodging to work their way even higher.

"_I see them,"_ Shadow announced suddenly. _"Widewing is ahead and slightly to the right."_

"_Great,"_ Pell replied. _"Let's get in a position to strike."_

* * *

><p>"They're still climbing!" Segun muttered, his thoughts spilling from his lips. "What's Barnabas up to? He must know the day dragon's can't outclimb us."<p>

The night dragonrider leader looked at the mass of night dragons ahead, below, and all around him. His superior force was moments away from combat and he could feel his heart rate accelerating.

"_Are you ready?"_ he asked his dragon.

"_I am,"_ she replied confidently.

Suddenly, a brief flash of light from above and behind the approaching day dragons drew her attention. Segun was looking to his right and felt, rather than saw, it. What had caused it? He narrowed his eyes against the wind and tried to force his focus out beyond the approaching formations to see if he could pick out the source. Without warning, he found his eyes dazzled by the most intense, burning light he had ever known.

To the night dragons and their riders it was as if twin suns had suddenly exploded into being in the sky ahead. The glare was incredible and the timing, crippling. Just before the combat began, two flares in the sky blinded almost every night dragon and rider. Segun and Widewing were no exception. The flare burned fierce and bright for several heartbeats. Even through his eyelids, Segun could not totally block out the light. Then one, followed shortly by the other, died away to nothing.

Hands over his eyes and trying to rub away the flash spots that were dominating his vision, he began to swear and curse. Even as he did so, a dragon crashed into them and Segun suddenly found it was all he could do to stay in the saddle as Widewing was dragged into a steep spiral dive. The world spun and the wind roared in Segun's ears as they accelerated. A sharp pain erupted in his lower back and he felt further brushing collisions as they fell together through the layers of dragons beneath.

It took several moments to realise that the pain in his lower back was actually Widewing's. His back was uninjured, but he was experiencing her pain through his bond. They were being attacked! For a brief moment he thought it must have been a dusk dragon that has used its camouflage to get in close, but then he caught sight of the dragon grappling with them in his peripheral vision. It was most certainly another night dragon.

"_Widewing!"_

"_It is Shadow and Pell,"_ she replied, her voice strained and thick with anger. _"Hold tight. I'm going to dislodge them."_ Had Widewing not warned him, Segun would have almost certainly been flying from the saddle. He instinctively grabbed for the straps and a couple of quick twists secured him in place just in time for Widewing's desperate manoeuvre. With stomach-wrenching abruptness, she lurched into a spiral dive.

Shadow had sunk her talons deep into Widewing's tail and was biting at her flank and lower back. Folding her great wings tight to her body, Segun's dragon made herself a dead weight. At the same time, she twisted to strike at Shadow's exposed neck. The twisting motion when they were already spinning threw Segun to the left so hard that for a moment he felt as if his arms were being pulled from their sockets.

Widewing's tactics succeeding in dislodging Shadow, but the pain remained. Pell's dragon had penetrated Widewing's armour with her talons and teeth in several places. Segun had never known his dragon to feel such anger. They continued to freefall for two or three heartbeats before Widewing extended her wings again and swooped up to meet her opponent.

Shadow was ready for the move and the two dragons met with talons raised and mouths open, poised to strike. For a moment they both hung there, wings beating hard to maintain the hover, talons raking and great teeth biting, each trying to get a hold that would give an advantage. The moment passed. Neither dragon could hover for more than a handful of wingbeats.

Pell's dragon was first to break away, diving suddenly underneath Widewing and racing off in the direction of the mountains.

"The Oracle's cave!" Segun called out aloud. "After him! He must not be allowed to reach it!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Now!"<em>

Shadow broke from her hover and dived underneath Widewing. Pell ducked and felt the talons of Segun's dragon whistle through the air just above him. They were clear. He looked over his shoulder. Segun had already wheeled Widewing around and they were in pursuit, just as he had hoped.

Overhead the night dragons were having a terrible time. many were spiralling out of control towards the ground with great smoking holes in their wings. Jack's tactics appeared to be working exactly as he said they would. There were a few night dragons grappling with day dragons, but in the main the day dragons were using their fire to make effective hit-and-run tactics. By aiming their attacks at the one weak point of the night dragons – their wings – the day dragons were causing havoc, sending them spiralling to the ground in large numbers.

It had been Elian's idea to use Aurora and Shimmer to blind the night dragons and their riders. Jack had talked about keeping the sun at their back to make it difficult for the night dragons to see, but Elian had pointed out that this would not be possible when approaching from the west, as they were. The surprise factor of having two incredibly bright lights in the form of the dawn dragons was even better.

In a matter of two or three heartbeats, the two dawn dragons had rendered almost the entire host of night dragons and their riders temporarily blind and totally helpless. They could not see where the attacks were coming from. Many collided with each other in the chaotic scramble to avoid the day dragon fire that was suddenly raining down on them.

The pairs of dusk dragons attacked the flanks, causing more mayhem. The other edges of the host were forced I on one another by their random strikes. As the night dragons bunched ever closer together, so they became easier targets for the fire of the day dragons, and more accidental collisions occurred.

Pell's mission was to keep Segun and Widewing out of the fight. He was determined to keep them too angry to notice what was going on. Without their leader to rally them, the night dragon attack was less likely to regain cohesion.

"_We've got their attention, Shadow!"_ Pell noted as the gigantic black dragon pounded after them with fearsome power. _"Now would be a good time to fly like the wind. And don't look back!"_

"They're gaining on us, Shadow!" Pell yelled urgently. "They're right on your tail!"

"_Hang on!"_ she replied. _"I can't go any faster. We're going to have to turn and fight!"_

The first line of mountains loomed not far ahead. They had run a long way from the major battle in a remarkably short space of time. A turn would become inevitable shortly anyway, as there were no convenient passes ahead. Great rock-strewn slopes with sparse patches of green towered in front and the textured blend of forest greens spread incredibly below them.

Shadow had avoided turns to prevent Widewing from cutting corners to catch them. Now she was left with no choice. The mountainside was rearing up in front of them. They would not be able to outclimb Segun's dragon, and Widewing was so close she was likely to catch them the moment they entered the turn. As a result Shadow was hesitant, not wanting to commit one way or the other.

Dipping her wing in a quick feint to the left, she tried to trick Widewing into committing to the turn, but before her direction had begun to change, she reversed rapidly to the right. To Pell's horror, Segun's dragon was not fooled. The enormous night dragon struck at Shadow's rear right quarter, her teeth scoring a painful tearing wound through her scales. Before Shadow could recover, Widewing grabbed her tail, slewing her round so abruptly that even with his strong grip on the straps, Pell had to fight to stay in the saddle.

He was terrified. An explosion of fury and pain suddenly blocked his link to Shadow's mind. Shadow rolled under him, twisting to strike back at Widewing and the two dragons began to tumble in a grappling, spinning spiral once again. Occasional flapping by either dragon slowed their fall in lurches, but the decelerations were never more than momentary, and their momentum was still carrying them towards the mountainside.

The rocky mountain slope was so close that, as they fell, it felt to Pell as though the entire mountain was sliding sideways towards him. He began to yell warnings, but Shadow was so focused on her grappling fight with Widewing that she did not appear to hear him.

In the instant before they crashed into the slope, two words blasted through the bond.

"_JUMP CLEAR!"_

Pell barely had a moment to prepare. Unwinding his wrists from the straps and kicking his feet clear of the stirrups, he freed himself of everything that could prevent him leaving her back. There was the briefest moment of anticipation before… crunch! The impact was terrible. Both Shadow and Widewing hit the steep slope together and immediately began to roll, still biting and clawing in the midst of an avalanche of loose shingle and rock.

In the last few heartbeats before they struck the ground, Pell flattened himself against his dragon to spread the expected impact across as much of his body as he could. At the instant they hit the mountainside, Shadow gave a sudden arch of her back that catapulted him into the air. Already winded by the first bone-crushing collision, Pell's second landing felt even harder. He smacked down onto the scree slope and immediately began to slide. For a brief moment he thought he was slipping across the surface of the steep field of small stones and rubble, but to his horror her realised that something much worse was happening.

The rolling fight of the two dragons had not stopped on impact. Already away down the mountainside in a cloud of dust and falling stones, the two dragons remained locked in contact. But their passage had triggered a secondary effect. The entire upper portion of the slope had been set in motion. Although most of the stones that were moving were barely bigger than gravel, the sheer mass meant bigger stones and rocks were being swept with the fall as well. Pell was riding the wave of an avalanche.

Initially, he slid sideways, but managed to turn so that he was riding feet first down the slope. He dug his heels in with the intention of slowing his progress, but it made no difference. The entire surface layer was in motion. All he could do was ride it out and shield his head as best he could from anything travelling faster than he was.

A rush of adrenaline masked any pain he might have felt from cuts and abrasions to his back, bottom and legs. His heart thumped and his breath came in ragged gasps as he tumbled down the mountainside in a storm of stone. Several larger boulders bounded past on either side of him and one bounced directly over his body, only to continue gambolling down the slope, shedding smaller stones with every impact.

Miraculously, as the avalanche slowed, he remained relatively unharmed. He was scratched and bruised all over, but nothing worse. Once he had come to a stop, it appeared that he might be buried under a sea of the smaller stones. They continued to trickle down around him for some time, along with occasional bigger ones. Wriggling and squirming to stay on top of them, he finally found enough purchase to stand.

Shadow and Widewing were no longer in sight, but he could hear their roars and see the treetops thrashing around where they were still fighting. The two dragons had smashed into the treeline and been swallowed by the forest some distance below. The whereabouts of Segun had not crossed his mind until a sudden rattling crunch to his right caught his attention.

The leader of the night dragons looked terrible and terrifying. He was bleeding from numerous cuts across his face and hands. One of his eyes was already blackening and swelling, and he was limping. His shoulders were hunched with murderous intent and his eyes burned with a fury unlike anything Pell had ever seen before. If the look in Segun's eyes and the set of his shoulders were not enough, the blade clenched in his right hand made his intentions more than clear.

Pell backed away slowly, feeling for his belt knife. His hand found an empty sheath. His blade was gone, no doubt buried somewhere under the rubble. He was unarmed. Quick as a striking viper, he stooped and picked up a stone that fitted comfortably into his palm. Segun did not so much as pause. He kept coming forwards, his lips curling into a half smile, half snarl. His knife hand came up into the classic ready stance as he closed the gap between them.

It was hard enough to walk across the steep field of loose stones, but to do it backwards proved impossible. Despite his attempted care, Pell lost his balance and toppled back. Segun immediately surged forward. Pell's instinct was to throw the stone. Segun twisted his upper body left allowing the stone to whistle past. by doing so his right arm was thrust forward leaving him momentarily in a weaker stance. Even as he was falling, Pell saw the opening and swept his right foot round in a crescent kick that caught Segun's knife hand. The blade flew from his grasp, spinning away down the mountainside until it skittered to a clinking halt amongst the stone some distance away.

Segun hesitated, automatically turning to follow the flight of the blade. The brief distraction gave Pell just enough time to leap back to his feet and adopt a fighting stance. Segun did not look impressed. The older man was taller and heavier, with a longer reach. He adapted his own fighting stance and Pell could see from the easy way he set his balance that the man was no stranger to unarmed combat.

"What's the matter, boy?" Segun taunted. "Afraid of an old man?"

"Not afraid, Segun," Pell replied, keeping his focus on the centre of his opponent's chest. "Not of you."

"Well you should be!"

Segun's attack was fast and powerful. His hands were incredibly quick, but Pell had already identified the man's weak spot. He was clearly favouring his right leg. Segun was doing a good job of hiding the limp, but it was an obvious target for Pell to focus on and his was quick to exploit it. The older man was attacking purely with his hands. He was quick, but so was Pell. With a rapid sequence of blocks and deflections Pell prevented Segun from landing any heavy blows before, dropping underneath an inward knife-hand strike, he swept a low turning kick to Segun's right knee.

The kick did not connect hard, but it must have hit the right spot because the other dragonrider folded over the injured knee and lost his balance. Toppling down the slope, he slid some way before he came to a stop. Taking care not to trigger a further slide, Pell descended step by cautious step towards the leader of the night dragon enclave. Segun remained facedown and still as Pell approached, but his ruse was transparent. Pell stopped well short, determined not to play into the other man's trap.

Seeing that Pell was not going to be fooled, Segun struggled to his feet, making a deliberate play of the weakness in his right leg. Again, Pell could see what was happening so he held back, keeping his distance and the advantage of higher ground. When Segun did settle his balance, Pell realised that his judgement had been better than he had realised. There, in Segun's right hand, was the deadly knife again. If he had moved in close, Pell had no doubt that he would have felt the sting of that nasty-looking blade.

"Come on then, boy," Segun said, his voice still taunting. "Come and try that move again."

A movement in the sky behind the leader of the night dragons made Pell glance up. There was a dull thud and he looked back down and paled as he saw a hilt protruding from his chest, the blade deeply embedded. Segun smirked and dashed forwards, grasping the hilt and pulling the bloodied blade back out. It appeared that Segun, exasperated, had taken a risk and thrown it in the heartbeat the Pell was distracted. The movement neared, and Pell shouted when he realised what was about to happen.

"NO! No, Jack! Don't!"

Wiseheart had broken away from the main fight and was heading towards them. As Segun raised his hand to stab Pell and end his life, there was a whistling sound and he dropped the blade, narrowly missing Pell, and clutched at his wrist as a red fountain exploded. Seeing his chance, Pell snatched up the knife and, ignoring the pain and blood pouring down his chest, thrust upwards, impaling Segun's throat. The night dragon leader choked, coughed up blood and slumped to his knees before collapsing sideways, eyes staring blindly and rapidly misting over.

From the forest below came two roars, one of loss and one of victory. Through their bond, Pell knew that the latter belonged to Shadow – she had defeated Widewing. It was over. He saw her take flight and approach him.

Exhaustion and relief catching up with him, everything swam and went black. The last thing he heard was Shadow.

"_PELL!"_

**So, there you have it. If you have any questions about the original story plotline and/or characters, I'll be happy to answer them either by PMing you or by putting it in the A/N next chapter if you ask before I update, which shouldn't be too long because I've got the next chapter already written, just need to type it up!**

**Now got to wait until fanfiction puts up the category… I sent the e-mail 3 weeks ago!**


	2. A Painful Awakening

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_Dragon Orb_**, Mark Robson does.**

**Thank you so much for all the responses! I wasn't expecting anywhere near this much, considering how little-known this series is so thank you!**

Chapter 1 – Painful Awakening

Kira watched Elian leave with a heavy heart. She knew that he and Aurora still felt incomplete as Nolita and Firestorm had taken their place as the sacrifice necessary for the Oracle's revival.

"_All the other dragons and their riders have left,"_ Fang informed her. _"We're the only ones left."_ Kira nodded, not really surprised that all the enclaves had left within a couple of hours.

"_**What about Pell and Shadow?"**_ Nolita – no, the Oracle – asked.

Pell! Kira realised that she hadn't seen him since before the battle. Worry coursed through her and she leapt onto Fang. The dusk dragon, ever in tune with her emotions, took flight as soon as she was settled. Together they flew to where Pell had headed.

Fang's keen sight was a blessing when he spotted a black shape on the mountainside. Drawing closer, Kira too could see the large night dragon's silhouette. At their approach the dragon stirred – it was obviously the victor.

"_Is that Shadow or Widewing?"_ Kira asked, hardly daring to hope.

"_Shadow,"_ Fang confirmed. Kira felt a wave of relief rush through her. _"She says that Pell won't wake up."_ The relief was replaced with dread. Fang landed close to Shadow and Kira rapidly dismounted, looking around for the night dragon rider. She spotted Segun, eyes staring blindly up at her and a blade embedded in his throat.

Unable to see Pell, she walked towards Shadow who, she noticed for the first time, was injured quite badly in places. The sight made her wish that Aurora and Elian were still there. A black wing lifted as she approached and she saw Pell lying in a crumpled heap. Seeing a worryingly large amount of blood staining his flying jacket and the ground where he lay she ran towards him, dropping to her knees by his side and gently manoeuvring him so that he lay on his back. Any hopes she might have had that it wasn't his blood were dispelled by his pale face, and the fact that the bloodstain on his jacket was still increasing. She slipped off the garment, and the top he wore underneath, and saw a blade wound in the centre of his chest. Deeply concerned, she ripped his top into strips and pressed a wad to the wound. Inspecting said wound, she realised that, luckily, the blade hadn't struck anything vital, although it had obviously hit several blood vessels. Keeping pressure on, Kira tightly bound the wad to the wound,

"_Shadow wants to know is Pell will be alright,"_ Fang said suddenly.

"_I don't know,"_ Kira replied. _"Nothing vital's been damaged but he's lost an awful amount of blood."_ She faintly heard Fang relaying her answer to Shadow but had a more pressing problem to deal with. There was no way that Pell could stay where they were but he was undoubtedly heavy. Easing her hands under his shoulders and knees, she attempted to stand. It took a few attempts but eventually she was on her feet, Pell in her arms. Crossing the short distance to Fang, she wondered how she was going to get him on her dragon. Fang crouched as low as he could, more or less lying flat on his belly. Shifting Pell so that he was being carried with just one arm – she felt as though that arm would drop off at any moment – she managed to mount her dragon. Setting Pell in her saddle she tied him on, embracing him securely as he leant heavily backwards on her. It was all she could do to stay on her dragon as he took flight. Shadow followed close behind as they flew to the Oracle's cave, concern for her rider obviously overriding the pain from her own injuries. Reaching the cave, the two dragons landed and Kira dismounted, leaning Pell forwards as she did so that he wouldn't slip off her dragon. Finding a somewhat comfortable area of the cave, she slipped Pell off Fang with difficulty and laid him on the cave floor. She then went to her saddlebags and collected a few blankets, which she laid on the ground before manoeuvring Pell on to them. Then, after gaining permission via Fang, she approached Shadow and looked through Pell's saddlebags. There – as she'd hoped – was a medical kit which still had a satisfactory amount of bandages. Her own supply of bandages had gone to Elian when one of the flash-bangs from the other world had exploded next to him. Pleased with her findings, she walked back over to Pell and removed the makeshift bandages and wad, replacing them with clean bandages. As soon as she was finished she placed another blanket over him and stepped back to sit next to Fang. Shadow walked closer to her rider and lay down, her head next to him, watching over him.

"_**How is Pell?"**_ Nol – the Oracle asked.

"He'd have a better chance of surviving if we were in Racafi, where I know some plants that might help," Kira said. "Or is Elian were here – his medical knowledge is better than mine."

"_**But ideally you wish for a day dragon,"**_ it replied. _**"Unfortunately, I cannot help with any of these matters."**_ Kira nodded and lay next to her dragon. All she could do was hope and pray that Pell would wake.

* * *

><p>Kira changed the bandages again. The bleeding was now barely noticeable and Pell was slowly regaining the colour in his face. His matted blonde hair lay loose around his head and shoulders – she had released it from its ponytail when she realised that it couldn't be comfortable to sleep with one's hair tied up. It was the first time she had seen him with his hair loose and she had to admit, due to her feminine side, that he did have lovely hair.<p>

Not all the events f the past few days had been peaceful though. A few hours after she had found him he had stopped breathing, forcing her to use mouth-to-mouth in a desperate attempt to keep him alive. It had worked with, she suspected, some mental strength from Shadow, and after that he had done nothing but improve, although he had yet to wake.

Seeing that that was the last of the bandages, Kira knew that she'd have to go looking for more. Oh well, the sooner she left, the sooner he'd return.

"If he wakes, tell him not to move," she told N – The Oracle, and heard Fang relay a similar message to Shadow. That was good. Pell would listen to Shadow. Thinking that she may as well get food while she was out, she mounted Fang and they flew off in search of civilisation. It took them about an hour to find somewhere and so they landed. Fang, realising that the streets were too narrow for him, waiting by the outlying farms while Kira walked in, quickly identifying a place that would cater for her needs. The old man was more than happy to assist a dragon rider and she got enough medical supplies for both her and Pell to carry. She then went to a farm and asked if there was any food for sale. There wasn't, but they directed her to the market place where food could be bought. Again, Kira was sold enough food to last her and Pell several days.

She mounted Fang again with rather fuller saddlebags and they took flight, prepared for the hour-long return flight.

* * *

><p>Pell opened his eyes slowly. There was a dull pain all over his body, most noticeably in his chest and lower back. There was a bright light and he squinted on reflex. Once his eyes had adjusted to the glow he opened them fully again. Looking around, he found that he was in a cave – the Oracle's cave? – and that he was lying on something – blankets? Looking round a little more he saw Shadow looking at him, clearly relieved that he had woken up.<p>

"_Don't move,"_ she said just as he was about to sit up. He stilled his muscles and gazed at her.

"_What happened?"_ he asked.

"_After you killed Segun you collapsed from the wound in your chest. A couple of hours later Kira and Fang came looking for us. She did what she could with what she had there, then somehow got you onto Fang and they brought you here – the Oracle's cave – where she used your medical supplies to tend to you properly,"_ she said.

"_Mine?"_

"_Apparently all of hers had already been used,"_ Shadow told him. _"But now all of yours have been used up as well so she and Fang have gone to get more. She said that if you woke to tell you not to move."_

Pell disliked the fact that he was currently in debt to Kira for her care. And why weren't Elian and Nolita there? And how long had he been out? Shadow answered all his unasked questions.

"_Elian and Aurora left before Kira and Fang came looking for us. Nolita and Firestorm are… dead, I suppose you could say. They sacrificed themselves in place of Elian and Aurora in order for the Oracle to be revived. This means that Elian and Aurora still feel incomplete. You've been unconscious for two days."_

Two days… Nolita and Firestorm dead… Elian and Aurora still feeling incomplete and gone… It was a lot to take in.

"_**I'm not dead,"**_ Nolita's voice sounded. He turned his head to see the Oracle looking markedly different. It was a mixture of Nolita and Firestorm but not – more spiritual. _**"In body, perhaps, but in spirit Fire and I are now one."**_ Pell nodded slowly. _**"Kira and Fang are returning."**_

Sure enough, Pell could hear the familiar sound of a dragon's wingbeats approaching. A few heartbeats later, he was looking up at Kira, who was assessing him critically. A black hand rested briefly on his forehead. After what felt like an eternity she spoke.

"You don't have a fever. Are you hungry?" At those words his body was reminded that it hadn't eaten for two days. His stomach decided to complain vocally and he blushed, to Kira's amusement. "I'll take that as a yes." There were hands under his shoulders, gently sitting him up. He took the bread that was handed to him and ate it slowly.

"How much has Shadow told you?" she asked.

"A-about…" Pell began, then was cut off as a water flask was thrust into his hands.

"Drink," she ordered. He took a few cautious sips before swallowing a larger mouthful. He then tried again.

"About Elian, Aurora, Nolita and Firestorm and that you came looking for me." Kira grinned.

"So just about everything. All the other dragons aside from Aurora have gone back to their enclaves. I don't know where Elian and Aurora have gone, but if I had to guess I'd say Racafi.

"You've been incredibly lucky – the blade missed anything vital, although it hasn't stopped bleeding yet. I'd be able to stop the bleeding using Broadleaf Rockcrop, but I don't know where to find that in Orupee…"

Pell stared at her, completely lost. He'd understood what she was talking about until she'd started going on about plants.

"Can I fly?" he interrupted her. She frowned and put her hands on her hips.

"Maybe. If you behave I'll let you try and get on Shadow tomorrow. No sooner."

"_Don't be in a hurry to leave,"_ Shadow told him. _"The rest is welcome and we have time to consider where we'll go next. Ideally, I'd like to go to the day dragon enclave to try and find a dragon willing to heal you, but I don't know if we'd be welcome now that the Quest is over. Going to the night dragon enclave is, of course, out of the questions. I expect that the dawn dragon enclave is currently full of dragonets, so going there would not be wise. I believe our choices are either staying with Kira, or going in search of Elian and Aurora."_

"_Kira and I are always arguing so staying together would be difficult,"_ Pell reasoned. _"Not only is Elian easier to get on with, his medical knowledge is the best in our groups' and Ra can heal you."_

"_But his medical knowledge is no use to use when we don't know where he is,"_ Shadow pointed out. _"I don't know the area of Racafi well at all, as it is day dragon territory more than night so unless you know it well we will be hard pressed to find them."_

"Pell? Are you listening to me?" Kira said as Shadow finished talking. He looked at her blankly. "Obviously not."

"Sorry," he apologised. "Shadow and I were discussing what we were going to do next." The tribe's girl sighed.

"I said that Fang and I were planning to go to the dusk dragon enclave once you're fit enough to travel and were wondering if you wanted to travel with us for a bit." Pell looked at her curiously and she sighed. "If I were in your position I would try and seek out Elian and Ra because his medical knowledge is better than mine and Ra can heal Shadow."

"So what would we gain from travelling with you?" Pell asked.

"I also grew up in Racafi," she said. "It'll be easier for you to find Elian and Aurora if you're with someone that knows the area. It's a bit of a detour for us, but we're willing to do it if you want our help."

"_Shadow?"_

"_She has a point. It works in our favour to travel with them for a while. It also means that we have less to worry about because she can keep an eye on your wound. The difficulty will be you two working together. You both like to be in charge but if you do this you'll have to yield to Kira's knowledge,"_ she said. _"Do you think you can do that?"_

"_I can try,"_ he said. "We'll stick with you," he said out loud. "Do you know where in Racafi they are likely to head?"

"From what he said when I was getting to know you, it's likely that he'll head back to his village, which was near the Haleen Rift Valley," she said.

"Where?" Pell asked, having never heard of the place.

"South Racafi," Kira told him. "Fang and I will take you to the valley and then you can ask around for Elian and Ra from there. After that we'll head to Ratalusia and the dusk dragon enclave." Pell nodded in agreement. He raised a hand to fiddle with his ponytail, a habit born from boredom, and found that his hair was loose. He scowled and was about to scold Kira for touching his hair for touching his hair when she gently pushed him so that he was lying down again. "The more rest you get today the more inclined I'll be to let you attempt to ride Shadow tomorrow," she said. "As for your hair, I'm sure sleeping with a ponytail is rather uncomfortable." He sighed but did as he was told, to Kira's pleasure, closing his eyes and soon falling back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Kira watched the night dragonrider fall back to sleep with ease and smiled. Pell was still exhausted, whatever he thought, and the pain from Shadow's wounds couldn't have been helping. He attempted to roll onto his side but she stopped him, knowing that he'd heal faster lying on his back.<p>

She hadn't been lying when she'd said that he should be fit to ride the next day – Pell was strong, she'd seen that when Pell and Shadow had been suffering constant pain after their first encounter with Segun as a group.

"_I'm somewhat surprised that he agreed to travel with us,"_ she admitted to Fang, pulling the blanket back over Pell. _"He must know that he'll have to listen to me. Mustn't he?"_

"_He and Shadow discussed it and agreed that it was the best course of action for them. He's willing to give yielding to your decisions a go," _her dragon replied. _"Try not to make it too difficult for him – remember that he's inconstant pain and so is less likely to be tolerant than if he and Shadow were in full health."_ Kira nodded.

"_**So you intend to leave tomorrow,"**_ N – the Oracle said somewhat sadly. _**"So be it. I doubt that I will see you again. Elian and Aurora I will, and the same with Pell and Whispering Shadow."**_ The night dragon looked at it in surprise. _**"You don't feel complete yet either, do you?"**_ the Oracle said softly.

Kira could see the confusion in the burning orange eyes of Shadow. The Oracle seemed disinclined to explain further and Shadow soon settled back down, her head alongside Pell, orange eyes watching him carefully.

Kira got some food for herself, eating slowly as she considered the journey that they would have to take. She was aware that for once they didn't have Ra's ability of creating gateways – almost a first since she became a dragon rider. This meant that, were he in full health, Pell would be better suited for the long journey. Crossing the Pascian Sea would be their first, and hardest, obstacle as they would have to fly for a long time with no opportunity to break. She was fairly confident that she could manage it, but with Shadow's injuries and Pell's current state of exhaustion they would have to plan it carefully. She would have to negotiate with Pell and find out how fit he was before they attempted the crossing.

She gritted her teeth. Being in charge was easy for her, but having to make a conscious effort NOT to make harsh decisions and make added concessions with the added task of not agitating others when 'others' included an older and more experienced dragon rider who also liked to be in control – and was very difficult when not in control.

"_This will be hard,"_ she commented to Fang.

"_Yes,"_ the dusk dragon agreed. _"But if you manage it your capabilities as a leader will be greatly improved. Remember, you just have to make concessions. Pell has to adapt to listening to and obeying someone younger and less experienced than he is."_

"_You don't need to remind me,"_ Kira grumbled, looking at the sleeping dragon rider. Even in sleep his discomfort showed to some extent on his face. Shadow, too, seemed uncomfortable if the way she kept shifting slightly was any consolation. _"We have to remember to include Shadow too. Pell might have difficulty managing it but she's the one that will actually have to do the hard work."_ A feeling of pride filtered through their bond.

"_I'm proud of you,"_ Fang said. _"When you first met you hated him and would not attempt to make any concessions that would suit him. He too has improved greatly to the point of letting you lead. This Quest has refined the both of you."_

"_I didn't realize that I had changed,"_ she commented. _"But I can see what you mean. I was contemplating killing him after he'd claimed the night orb when we rescued him, but now look – I'm trying to keep him alive! I suppose he has grown on me, somewhat,"_ she admitted grudgingly, glancing at the object of their discussion again. Seeing that he had rolled himself onto his side in his sleep – probably a habit of sleeping with his hair tied up – she gently rolled him back onto his back, neatening the blanket that covered him.

Fang watched her silently with a silver eye as she briefly rested a hand on his forehead, ensuring that his temperature was as it should be. As she pulled his and back, a few strands of his long blonde hair caught on her hand. She stared at the contrast, seeing that her skin was far darker than his hair. She found that ironic, seeing as he was the one that rode the night dragon. She noticed that his hair was far softer than her own coarse ebony hair, but not femininely so. Realising that she was still holding the pale strands she retracted her hand, allowing the blonde hair to float back down to the floor.

Now that most of the colour had returned to his face, she noticed that he was naturally pale – not as pale as Nolita had been but slightly paler than Elian. It wasn't sickly by any means, and she hadn't noticed until then mainly because she hadn't had a chance to study him, and also because he did have a slight tan as a result of two season rotations on dragon back.

Taking the opportunity to study him some more, she saw details that had escaped her notice previously. His jaw was well-defined, but still retained a soft edge – the last remnants of his childhood. The part of his torso not covered by the blanket was lean but muscular.

Taking in the fact that his relatively long hair was usually tied in a ponytail and that when he opened his eyes she would be looking into pale sapphire orbs with a sharp gaze she grudgingly concluded that he was better looking than many boys his age that she had seen. It was a shame that his attitude didn't match his appearance.

But even his attitude was curious. She wondered about his life before he met Shadow. Elian and Nolita's past lives she knew a fair bit about, but of Pell she knew nothing. Not where he grew up, not his family, not the reason for his independence and cold, unfeeling attitude. The fact that he had never mentioned his past didn't put it in a good light. Maybe he had been teased as a child and so had built a wall around himself to prevent so-called friends from betraying him? Maybe he was the youngest child, or an only child, and had needed to prove himself and so made a reputation by being cold?

All these possibilities swarmed through her head. The fact that he liked to take charge suggested that he had always been ordered around before Shadow had come into his life.

Pondering what she did know of the night dragon rider, she knew that he had seen sixteen season rotations and had met Shadow two rotations ago, giving him far more experience than her.

Thinking about it, she realised that, with the exception of Nolita, who was younger, all the riders she knew had met their dragons when they were fourteen season rotations old. She, Elian and Pell had all been of that age when they had met Fang, Ra and Shadow respectively.

Looking out of the cave, she saw dusk turning to night – where had the day gone? At Fang's prompting she curled up by him, accepting his warmth, and waited for dawn to come.

**Sorry for the ridiculously long wait. Writer's block is one of the worst things in the universe. If, like me, you guys are cringing at the amount of KiraXPell suggested in this chapter (I love the pairing but it really has no place in this story) don't worry, I will not allow this to become a romance fic!**

**Until next time,**

**Tsarina Torment**


	3. Moving Out

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_Dragon Orb_**, Mark Robson does.**

Chapter 2 – Moving Out

The sun woke Kira first the next morning. Out of habit, she looked towards Pell and frowned, confused, when she saw him lying on his side, before she remembered that he had woken up the previous day. Sighing, she made her way to his side and turned him so that he was lying on his back. She could feel Fang's amusement at her exasperation at his stubbornness, even when asleep. She knew that it was subconscious on his part, but it was still irritating.

Remembering that if Pell was well enough – as she suspected – they were leaving that day she lit a fire to prepare a hot breakfast. Some of the venison that she had bought the day before was put on the fire to cook, while she prepared spices and vegetables to go with it.

The smell of the cooking woke Pell and he made to sit up before Kira realised what he was up to and stilled his attempts. He protested, but shut up when she brandished the new bandages in his face, making her intentions more than clear. He let her fumble with his current bandages and inspect his wound.

"It's still bleeding…" she muttered, irritated and slightly concerned. Pell glanced down and saw that she was right – there was a small trickle of blood still travelling down the centre of his chest. Aside from a slight wince as the new bandages were applied, Pell gave no indication of being in pain. Once satisfied that the bandages were tight enough, she checked once more that his temperature was as it should be. It was, to her relief and she allowed him to sit up and eat some of the food.

Their meal passed in silence as neither wanted to make small talk, preferring to lean against their respective dragons. Noticing that Pell had shed the blanket that had been covering him, she spotted his intent of getting up and held up a hand to stop him when he abandoned his sfood in favour of attempting to get up.

"Wait," she said around a mouthful of venison. "Finish your food – you need the nutrition and energy." For a moment she thought that she'd have to hold him down, but then he reached out towards his abandoned meal and slowly chewed on the meat.

"_He's being unusually compliant,"_ she commented to Fang.

"_Remember – he's attempting to listen to you,"_ he reminded her. She gave a mental nod before turning her attention back to Pell. He had finished eating and was waiting for Kira to finish, to her surprise. She swallowed the last of her food before standing and starting to clear up, putting the uncooked food back in her saddlebags and extinguishing the fire. She noticed that Pell's patience soon wore out and he attempted to stand. Finishing tying her saddlebags to her saddle, she leant against Fang with her arms crossed and watched him.

The night dragonrider pressed his palms against the ground and shifted so that his feet were underneath him. Pushing up with his arms and straightening his legs he managed to stay upright, settling his balance with Shadow's help. He then looked over at her and froze when he saw her watching him carefully.

"I was right – you should be strong enough to ride," was all she said.

* * *

><p>Standing up hurt. His muscles were still protesting after not moving for two days and his and Shadow's injuries did not help. He had been startled to discover that Kira had watched his attempt to stand and not told him off for moving without permission. Her admission that she had expected him to be fit enough to ride despite her apparent uncertainty the day before made him wonder just how well she knew him, even though they had only met six weeks prior and not spent much time talking – just arguing.<p>

"_She is trained as a hunter,"_ Shadow reminded him. _"She is observant."_

"_I know, it's just unnerving,"_ he replied. _"Where's my flying jacket?"_

"_In front of you."_ There was amusement in her voice. He looked to see Kira, holding one of his tops and his flying jacket.

"You'll need these," she said, handing him the top. He pulled it on, wincing slightly as his arms extended fully. Then he accepted his flying jacket, slipping it on and tying the cloth strips together to close it. A final item was handed to him and he recognised it as the small rope he tied his hair with. He combed his wild hair with his fingers as best he could before pulling the blonde locks into a ponytail. His hair was due for another cut, he noted, realising that even bound his hair reached the base of his shoulder blades.

By the time he was finished, Kira had packed everything up, some half-burnt wood the only sign that anyone had ever been there. The Racafian tribeswoman was standing in front of him again.

"Up you get," she said, indicating Shadow. "It's time to go." He nodded and turned to where Shadow was crouched. It took longer than usual but soon he was mounted up. It was only when he looked towards Fang and saw Kira mounting up that he realised that she had waited until he was secure bfore going to her dragon. The small but effective pieces of aid that she was giving him were barely noticeable at the time, but looking back he could identify several times that she had subtly helped him. That she cared enough to do so touched him – given their frequent clashes he had not expected her to do more than bandage his wounds. Even more surprising, he realised, was that if their situations were reversed he would be doing exactly the same thing.

"_You have grown, dragonrider,"_ Shadow whispered in his mind. _"The Quest has taught you to care for, and trust, others like you didn't before."_ Her admission shocked him, but he realised that, as usual, she was right. He _had_ grown, otherwise why, when he had been separated from Nolita, had he worried about telling Kira and Elian? And why had he been so pleased to see her safe, and not just because he hadn't wanted to face Kira and Elian's anger, but because he worried for her as a friend?

"Are you ready?" Kira's voice broke through his thoughts and he turned to look at her. Realising that they wouldn't leave until he answered, he nodded.

"_**Goodbye!"**_ The Oracle said. Pell was struck by how its manner of speech had changed – it was more like Nolita now. _**"Kira and Fang – enjoy the rest of your time together. Pell and Shadow – we will meet again."**_ Pell was confused, but before he could ask what it meant, Fang and Shadow were on the move.

Fang was first out of the cave, taking flight and then circling as he waited for Shadow.

"_Ready?"_ he asked her silently.

"_Here we go,"_ she replied. Wings still folded, she leapt from the mouth of the cave. They fell a little way before her enormous wings snapped out, filling with air and stopping their descent. With two powerful wingbeats she was back level with Fang and Kira and they headed south, towards the Pascian Sea, and Racafi.

Pell noticed very quickly that they were flying much slower than usual, which surprised him a little. Last time he had ridden injured Shadow had been racing in order to minimise his time in the saddle. With his dragon being injured as well, they probably wouldn't cover as much ground as they would under normal circumstances.

"_Do you know how far we are flying today?"_ he asked Shadow.

"_Kira and Fang have not yet decided,"_ she replied. _"But I doubt we will cover much more than half our usual distance."_

Pell looked over to where Kira and Fang were flying in formation next to him. The Racafian girl seemed deep in thought. She was probably thinking about how far he would be able to travel. Her manner of leading was different – it was almost as it she was trying not to agitate him with her decisions. It was another small gesture that was barely noticeable but most welcome.

After a while, the dragons changed direction, heading southwest instead of due South. Pell supposed that it had to be because the sea wasn't as wide in their new direction, but that was just a guess as his knowledge of anywhere south of Ourpee and Isaa was almost non-existant. Shadow's knowledge was better, but Racafi was still a fair mystery to her – being day dragon territory she had spent most of her life avoiding it.

So wrapped up in his thoughts was he, that he didn't notice Shadow beginning to descend until the airflow started testing his grip. Cursing himself for losing concentration, he slipped his arms into the fighting straps to secure himself, aware that it was too late to try and strengthen his grip. He felt Shadow's concern in the back of his mind and hastily reassured her.

"_I'm fine – don't worry."_ Her concern faded slightly, but he could still feel it. Looking ahead, he could see the sea. _"We've reached the coast already?"_ he asked.

"_Yes, but Fang says that it is too wide to cross here. We will follow the coast until the sea is narrower,"_ she replied.

"_Too wide? How far away is Racafi?"_ he exclaimed, incredulous.

The ground rushed up to meet them and he saw Fang already on the ground, Kira dismounting.

As usual, Shadow landed perfectly, her legs carrying them safely towards where Kira was waiting. Pell dismounted cautiously before slowly walking over to her.

"We'll eat now," she said, grabbing some food from her saddlebags. "I'll get wood and you make the fire." He nodded and took the food, looking around for a suitable spot. Unsurprisingly, the best spot was where he stood. Kira had waited for him there on purpose. Sitting down, he waited for Kira to return with wood. She wasn't long, and he quickly built a fire.

Soon they were enjoying a warm meal, with the two dragons lying beside them.

Once they had finished eating, Kira cleaned up and walked over to Fang. Pell started to stand, thinking that they were leaving, but she shook her head at him as she returned, holding bandages. He fumbled with the ties on his flying jacket and slipped the garment off, followed by his top. Judging by the scowl on Kira's face as she removed the current bandages, his wound had not taken kindly to flying. A wet cloth dabbed at his chest, quickly becoming red, before the new bandages were wrapped firmly around his torso. When she held up the old bandages, Pell's eyes widened. The majority of the white linen had dyed red.

"Flying appears to have partially reopened your wound," Kira said.

"Part of?" Pell asked. "But… there's so much blood…"

"Did Shadow not tell you?" Kira asked. "When Fang and I found you you were lying in a pool of your own blood. We didn't know if you'd make it." Pell stared at her in horror. "I'm glad that it's only partially reopened." She saw Pell's shocked expression and smiled. "It's amazing that you're flying on Shadow only three days later. You heal fast," she said. "We'll rest here for a couple of hours to give it time to close again." Pell saw the sense in that suggestion and walked over to Shadow before sitting against her and closing his eyes. After a moment he felt a blanket settle on top of him and he cracked open one eye to see Kira walking away.

"Thanks," he muttered. She turned and smiled at him.

"Got to look after yourself!" she said. "I don't think Shadow's in a hurry to lose her rider. And I'm not keen on the idea of a rogue Shadow, either." With that, she turned back towards Fang and sat next to him.

"_Did I imagine it or did Kira smile at me for the second time since we landed?" _Pell asked.

"_She is glad that you are recovering so quickly,"_ his dragon replied. _"She did all she could to keep you alive but always worried that it wasn't enough."_

"_She said I was in a pool of my own blood – is that true?"_ he asked, not really sure that he wanted to know the answer.

"_Yes,"_ Shadow said, sadness evident in her voice. _"We all feared that your injury was fatal."_ Hearing her quiet confession made the situation seem more real. He had come far closer to death that he had realised.

"_I've been very lucky,"_ Pell realised. _"Lucky that Kira cared enough to save me. She could easily have made an error that would have killed me."_

"_She cared enough to give you mouth-to-mouth when you stopped breathing,"_ Shadow informed him. He resisted the urge to touch his mouth. _"We are both in her debt."_

Pell sighed and shifted so that he was leaning sideways against Shadow, closing his eyes and soon falling asleep.

* * *

><p>Kira watched Pell get comfortable before falling asleep and sighed.<p>

"_Perhaps we left a day early,"_ she commented to Fang. _"Pell could've done with another day's rest."_

"_You know that he would have been unhappy resting for another day. Travelling in short bursts in probably best for him,"_ the dusk dragon replied. Turning her attention back to the sleeping night dragonrider, Kira inspected him. His face was still paler that she would've liked, but other than that he seemed to be okay. This made her appreciate just how strong he was. She could see how nasty Shadow's wounds were, and could only imagine how painful they must be. Add in his own, near-fatal, injury and you got an almost-miracle, considering that three days later he was flying again.

"_We should probably sleep here tonight,"_ Kira realised. _"That means that we'll have another short journey tomorrow, and then the sea crossing the next day."_ Fang's approval resonated through the bond. Kira stood and walked into the nearby forest, looking for suitable materials to make a shelter. It gave her something to do and would be more comfortable than sleeping under their dragons' wings. She spotted a long, straight branch lying on the ground and proceeded to drag it back to where the dragons and Pell lay.

With difficulty, because it was heavy, she hauled it up so that it lay suspended by two trees, at chest height. Going back into the forest, she looked for smaller branches to give the shelter some form of rigid structure. It took her a while, but eventually she found some suitable lengths of wood and dragged them back to the campsite.

Making the shelter brought back a sense of nostalgia. She had made a similar structure just after they had visited the Oracle. She and the others had just met Pell and already the arguments had started. Elian started his job as peacemaker, resolving the heated discussion by assigning tasks to everyone. Nolita had been in charge of building the fire while Elian and Pell had collected wood for a shelter, which she had constructed. Then, of course, she'd had the others' help moving the heavier branches, but Nolita and Elian weren't there, and Pell was injured. The branches were too small for the dragons to be of assistance, so it was just her.

Having created a sturdy skeleton structure, she searched for large leaves, such as fern, to make a waterproof roof. She didn't think it would rain, but better safe than sorry.

Once the shelter was up to standard, she used the leftover leaves to create some form of soft floor for them to lie on. Finally satisfied with her work, she turned and looked at Pell.

Catching a glimpse of the sun, she was surprised to see that was almost dark, and that the fire was dying. Quickly rekindling the fire, she sharpened a stick and put some meat on it before placing it just above the fire.

Walking over to Pell, she lay a hand on his shoulder and shook him gently, just enough to wake him.

"It's dusk," she said when he looked at her. "We'll stay the night and head off in the morning." He nodded and stood, making his way towards the fire.

* * *

><p>Pell had been surprised to discover that he had slept for so long, and was even more surprised when he saw the shelter that hadn't been there earlier. The fact that she had built it all by herself, with no help, according to Shadow, astonished him when he saw the size of some of the wood.<p>

Staring into the dancing flames, he remembered various camps in the past where he and the other three dragonriders had built similar shelters. The fire reminded him of Nolita. Building the fire had always been her responsibility and usually Firestorm would light it once she was satisfied. It was a shame in a way that the four of them would never be together again. True, Nolita's rituals had been irritating and Kira had been difficult to get on with, but looking back he counted them all as 'friends' – the first true ones that he could remember.

He'd always had difficulty getting on with others. The way that his family had worked had meant that he had always been a solitary person because everyone that he deemed interesting to talk to had been deemed 'not good enough' for him. Sometimes he really resented his family. They had insisted that he mix with his peers, whom he didn't really care for, and looked down on him if he mingled with younger children, even his own sister.

A water flask thrust into his hands broke him from his thoughts and he looked up, away from the flames, to see Kira sitting down next to him. The meat was cooked and he took a few bites of the hot food before swallowing some water. In this fashion he quickly finished the water. Tipping it up to get the last drops out, he asked Shadow if there was a stream or river nearby where he could refill it. She responded negatively and he sighed. He may not have liked his father, but he recognised his wisdom on keeping hydrated if injured as common sense. A black hand offered him another flask.

"Take it," Kira said. "You need it more than me and there's a stream about ten minutes away where I can refill the flasks."

Recognising a sensible suggestion when he heard it, Pell accepted the water and watched Kira carry his flask and another one – a spare, perhaps – off into the neighbouring forest. He continued to alternate between eating the meat and drinking until his share of the venison was gone. Draining the last of the water, he headed towards the shelter and lay down, before remembering blankets. Standing back up with a groan, he staggered towards Shadow and removed some blankets from the saddlebags. As he made to re-enter the shelter, Kira returned, carrying two full water flasks.

"Let me change your bandages again before you go to sleep," she said, placing the flasks on the ground and walking towards Fang, retrieving clean bandages and a cloth, which she wet. She then made for where Pell was standing, waiting patiently to be treated. Realising that he hadn't put his top back on, she stooped to pick it up as she passed it. Gesturing for Pell to sit down, she knelt in front of him and loosened the bandages that were covering his torso. Seeing a daunting amount of red still there, she dabbed at his chest with the cloth, removing the dried blood and exposing the wound.

As she had hoped, the wound had almost closed completely with a reddish-brown scab concealing the blade's path. Seeing her satisfied face, Pell looked down and saw his wound. Spotting the still-running trickle of blood, he briefly wondered what she had to be pleased about, until he realised that the wound had closed up to a large extent, meaning that by morning he'd be fit to fly a modest distance. Clean white bandages wrapped around his torso, absorbing what little blood was still flowing. Once Kira stood, signifying that she was done, he lay down inside the shelter and drew the warm blanket over him. He noticed Kira cleaning up their campsite somewhat before grabbing blankets and settling down on the opposite side of the shelter. The dragons closed in =, making the night seem even darker and Shadow's glowing orange eyes were the last thing he saw before falling asleep.

* * *

><p>That night, Pell dreamed. <em>He was standing on the top of a mountain, Segun lying dead at his feet.<em>

"_You killed him," Murvan, a senior night dragonrider said, walking towards him._

"_Night dragon scum – murdering one of his own." That was Barnabas, also stalking up the mountain. His dragon Wiseheart circled in the sky above._

"_I gave you a chance to escape killing him. Were you so desperate for his blood that you were blind to your chance?" Jack asked, approaching with an otherworld weapon in his grasp._

"_We thought you were different from the rest!" members of the day, dawn and dusk enclaves chorused, their dragons joining Wiseheart in the air._

"_A murderer! My son is a murderer!" his mother wailed, comforted by his father, brothers and sister, who all sent disgusted glances his way._

"_We shouldn't have outlawed you – we should have slaughtered you and you slaughtered him!" the night dragon enclave shouted, the sky turning black with their dragons._

"_**I was wrong to entrust my faith to thee,"**__ the Oracle whispered. __**"Ye who have betrayed my trust!"**_

"_All that time we travelled together – did you plan on killing me, too?" Nolita asked, Firestorm looming threateningly behind her._

"_N-no!" Pell gasped, finding his voice. "I didn't plan to – I didn't mean to -"_

"_Lie." Elian emerged from the crowd with Aurora behind him. "You called me naïve – you thought I couldn't see the murderous intent in your eyes?"_

"_No!" Pell cried. "I never -"_

"_Glory's all that ever mattered to you, isn't it?" Kira demanded. "Did you think that by murdering Segun you'd gain it?"_

"_NO!" Pell screamed. "I didn't want – I didn't mean -"_

"You have disappointed me, dragonrider,"_ Shadow whispered in his mind. _"You are not worthy of being my rider!"

_Tears spilled down his cheeks. He didn't want to live anymore. Fumbling at his belt, he drew the small knife that he kept there._

"_Going to put that in my throat, too, boy?" Segun asked, standing up, his eyes staring blankly past him._

"_Regret that you didn't kill us?" the victims of the Dark Orb asked._

"_Angry with the Griffins and Segun for killing me and Knifetail instead of letting you do it?" Dirk hissed._

"_NOO!" Pell screamed._

"_Murderer!" they all shouted. "Kill the murderer!"_

"Die, dragonrider,"_ Shadow hissed. They all closed in on him, murder in their eyes. There was a hand on his shoulder and he screamed._

**And that's all for this chapter.**

**Thanks for reading – as always, if you have any questions don't hesitate to PM me or ask in a review.**

**Tsari**


	4. Sea Crossing

**I don't own **_Dragon Orb_**. Mark Robson does.**

Chapter 3 – Sea Crossing

"Pell!" Kira shouted. His eyes snapped open and he looked up at her concerned face. "Wake up! It's just a dream." He stared at her in terror, still half in his dream. She pulled him up into a sitting position and gently embraced him.

Slowly returning to his senses, Pell realised that he was gasping and shaking, covered in sweat. He was surprised by the contact with Kira, but felt secure and so leaned against her somewhat. There was an intake of breath from Kira before the arms around him tightened. He tried to close his eyes, but he saw Segun standing, eyes staring blindly and a knife embedded in his throat. He opened his eyes with a gasp.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Kira asked softly.

"I was on a mountain," he gasped. "Segun was at my feet, dead. Everyone I've ever known turned on me. They called me a murderer. Everyone… you, Elian, Nolita, my family, even Shadow…" he swallowed back tears. "You all wanted to kill me. Then Segun stood up – his eyes were staring, staring – and all the others. The ones the Orb killed, Dirk… everyone whose death I've had some hand in-" he choked on tears and stopped.

"_I would never turn on you, Pell,"_ Shadow whispered comfortingly. Her confident admission made him feel slightly better.

"That dream is utter nonsense," Kira said. "If I wanted you dead all I had to do was not save you." Her tone brooked no room for argument and also helped him to calm.

"_That's right,"_ Shadow said. _"Think of everyone in your dream whose opinion means anything to you. Would they ever turn on you like that?"_ It didn't take Pell long to realise that she was right. No-one that mattered would think that way. Gradually, he stopped hyperventilating and relaxed completely in Kira's arms. To his relief, she didn't let go, instead remaining as a support for him. He attempted to close his eyes again, but the same vision stopped him so instead he looked out of the shelter, towards Shadow. The massive night dragon looked back at him, concern evident in her gaze and through her bond.

"_Try and go back to sleep,"_ she said.

"_But, every time I close my eyes…"_ Pell whimpered, subconsciously curling against Kira.

"_Then don't look,"_ she replied patiently. _"Think of something else."_ It was a sensible suggestion, but far easier said than done. If he tried to think of someone, their state in his nightmare would appear and he'd start shivering again.

"_Try Saffi,"_ Shadow suggested suddenly. _"She wasn't in your dream."_

Pell did so, imagining the young girl he'd met while on the way to find the Dark Orb. Her small, innocent face swam in his vision, her mother, so cold towards him, but who had cared for him after he had fallen off Shadow, standing behind her with her arms crossed in a 'no-nonsense' pose.

Keeping the humble picture in his head, he soon leant heavily against Kira and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

><p>Felling Pell go completely limp in her arms, Kira looked down at him and saw that he had fallen back to sleep.<p>

His nightmare worried her. Pell had always been so strong, physically and emotionally, so seeing him shaken by a dream was worrying. The content of the dream did not especially surprise her. Segun had been Pell's first kill and, despite the fact that it was better than the night dragon leader had deserved, it was still bound to play on Pell's conscience.

She gently lay him back down and covered him with the blanket. When screams had torn her from her sleep she had been initially wary. Quickly identifying Pell as the source, she had crawled towards him, becoming concerned when she realised that he was pale, sweaty and shaking – clear signs that he was deep in the thrall of a nightmare. Waking him up had been difficult. When she had touched him he had screamed even louder than before and fought to get away, only waking after she'd shouted his name a few times. The look in his eyes when he finally woke was one she recognised, being a trained huntress, but had never thought to see in Pell's eyes. Raw terror. He had been terrified… of _her_. Uneasy, she had done the only thing she could think of and embraced the shaking dragonrider. It had been a relief when he had finally calmed down, and when she had recounted his nightmare she had felt pity for him. She couldn't imagine Fang turning on her, not even in a dream, and Pell had felt abandoned by everyone – the companions for the Quest and his family – on top of that. She's been pleased when he'd fallen back to sleep.

"_It's time to get up,"_ Fang told her. Looking out past the dragons she could see that he was right – it was past dawn. She debated about waking Pell, but decided to give him some more time asleep. Groaning, she crawled out of the shelter and stood. Fang moved so that she could walk comfortably between him and Shadow, who was watching Pell worriedly.

Relighting the fire, which had gone out sometime during the night, Kira reached into her saddlebags for food to cook. More venison. The meat, while delicious, was becoming monotonous and she wished for a change.

"_Didn't you see some berries in the wood?"_ Fang asked. _"I thought I saw some dark red ones in your thoughts._ Kira thought back and remembered seeing the dark red of loganberries. She stood from where she was crouched by the fire and headed into the trees.

It wasn't long before her memory guided her to a bush bearing loganberries near the stream. They weren't all fully ripe, but she found enough on that, and other nearby bushes, to make a nice change to the venison's flavour.

Once satisfied with the amount of berries she made her way back to the campsite, following her own tracks, and found Pell sitting by the fire with Shadow next to him. Drawing closer, she could see that he had used his initiative and was cooking the meat. She showed him the loganberries.

"I found some berries to go with the venison," she said. His eyes lit up with appreciation.

"Loganberries!" he breathed. His tone suggested that he hadn't had them for a long time, but really liked them. This speculation was confirmed when they ate and he wolfed them down. Seeing him eat so quickly reminded her of just after they had rescued him from the night dragons' enclave. He'd gulped down the food then just as fast, suggesting that he hadn't been fed much, if anything, during his short time in the cells. He'd been injured then, too, although nowhere near as badly.

When they'd first seen him, he'd had a black eye and other, fainter, bruises. Nothing had appeared out of the ordinary until shed run to Shadow, expecting the other three to run with her, but had looked back to see Elian and Nolita helping Pell. The real indication though was when he'd fainted. They'd just finalised how they were going to get out of the enclave and were mounting their dragons when there had been a thump and they'd turned to see Pell lying on the ground with his eyes shut. They'd had Firestorm with them then, so healing him had been easy and they'd soon been on their way.

This time, there was no Firestorm, so she and Pell would have to rely on their own medical knowledge to keep him in the saddle. Speaking of saddle… They'd both finished eating and it was time to move on. Working in silence they tidied up, packing everything away. She changed Pell's bandages once again before he put his top and flying jacket on and mounted Shadow. It was not really necessary, but she waited until he was secure in the saddle before mounting Fang. Casting one last look around the campsite and shelter – it was polite to leave structures you had constructed for other travellers to use – she determined that nothing had been left and so they took off, Shadow first, followed by Fang.

The two dragons flew fairly slowly, as they had a whole day to cover a short distance.

* * *

><p>"<em>Do you know how far we're travelling today?" <em>Pell asked.

"_Not exactly, but we will not be going far. Kira and Fang have decided to fly to the crossing point today and cross tomorrow,"_ Shadow replied. Pell sighed and grumbled quietly. He knew that they were flying slowly because of his and Shadow's injuries, and was grateful, but knowing that normally they would be travelling much further was irritating in the extreme. He glanced over towards Kira again and was surprised when he realised that she was looking at him. He couldn't see clearly, but it appeared to him as though her face gained a look of concern.

"_Kira wants to know if something is wrong,"_ Shadow said, clearly relaying a message from Fang.

"_No, no. I'm fine; nothing's wrong," _Pell said quickly, realising that Kira must have been wondering why he was looking at her. He heard Shadow relay his answer to Fang and smiled grimly, determined not to appear weaker than he already did. He knew Kira was worrying about him, about his injury and how it was affecting his health as well as the nightmare he had had the previous night. Just the mere thought of it was enough to send his brain into panic mode as he clenched hold of the pommel of his saddle and started shaking slightly.

"_Pell!"_ Shadow's voice prevented his condition from reaching hyperventilation. _"Don't think about it. It couldn't be further from the truth! Do you need to land to recover?"_

"_NO!"_ Pell said. _"That is, I don't need to land. Just… Talk to me, Shadow."_

"_What about?"_

"_Anything. Anything to take my mind off this,"_

"_Very well. Did I tell you how I got my name?"_

Pell shook his head. _"No."_

_Well. I was a young dragon, only just grown up enough to lose the title 'dragonet', when I met a dragon, named Striking Talon…"_ She told him about how, with the help of the senior night dragon, now long dead, she had discovered her ability of silent flight had had been deemed worthy of a name unique to her ability – Whispering Shadow. Pell listened, enthralled, as she explained her pride at being named so young, and by the most respected night dragon of the time. It made him realised how special she was, and the nightmare soon faded into nothing more than a memory.

* * *

><p>When they landed by the ocean for the night, Pell decided that he would help Kira with creating the shelter, to give him something to do and keep his mind off the nightmare that was still lurking at the edge of his thoughts. At first, Kira was reluctant to let him help, as before, setting him the task of building and lighting the fire. This he managed quickly before standing and helping Kira lift a heavy branch that would be the supporting beam. She scowled at him but he would not be put off and soon she relented, although she still tried to make his carry the lighter bits of wood. For the most part, he relented, but occasionally he ignored her protests and carried a heavier piece.<p>

Once they had finished the shelter they ate – more venison – before Kira once again changed his bandages, scowling at the again partially opened wound and scolding him for not taking it easy. He took the scolding in silence, even though he was convinced that lifting wood wasn't really any more damaging that flying.

"_She's not scolding you because it worsened your injury, it's because you _might_ have made it worse. She was worried,"_ Shadow explained. Her words startled Pell, but they made sense.

As they lay down in the shelter, he realised that the next day would be the first real test of his endurance. He highly doubted that, once they set off, there would be an opportunity to rest before they reached Racafi. He didn't show it, but he was worried. It had only been four days since he'd received the wound and he didn't know if he'd manage to find the strength to stay on Shadow's back. He fell asleep plagued by unease about the next day.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Pell was woken by Kira, as usual.<p>

"Do you feel like crossing the Pascian Sea today?" she asked. At those words his unease from the previous night flooded back despite the fact that as he sat up he felt stronger than he had for a while.

His doubt must have reflected on his face, because concern shone in Kira's eyes.

"If you don't think you can do it we can wait. We're not in any hurry," she added. He shook his head.

"No. I can do it," he said defiantly. She looked sceptical but said nothing, collecting fresh bandages from her saddlebags and approaching him. Now used to the routine he allowed her to remove his current bandages and clean his chest before applying the new linen strips. The meat was already cooking over the fire and Kira had also found some roots to go with it to add variety. He approved, although he wished for more loganberries – they were one thing he missed from his old life before Shadow.

Once the meal was finished they tidied up – well, Kira did as she refused to let Pell do anything. Recognising that this was because she wanted to conserve his energy for staying in the saddle, he relented and sat by the remains of the fire. Kira's concern really was touching at times; Pell wasn't used to someone physically stopping him from doing things that would affect his health. Shadow would try and dissuade him, but sometimes even her powers of persuasion didn't work.

"Mount up," Kira said a few moments later as she extinguished the fire and scattered the stones. He obeyed, noticing that she stood closer than necessary and once again waited until he was settled before mounting Fang.

"_How long do you think her care will last?" _he asked Shadow, curious as to her perception of Kira's unusually obvious concern.

"_She's always cared,"_ Shadow responded immediately. _"Despite appearances, she's been looking out for you ever since she realised that we were going to be part of their group. It's only becoming obvious because you're weaker than usual, so she feels honour-bound to keep a closer eye on you."_ The revelation stunned Pell – he had never noticed that she'd been looking out for him. True, she'd led his rescue and had overruled him concerning hot food shortly afterwards, but, as usual, looking back made him realise the subconscious care behind all her actions.

"Time to go!" Kira called, and he heard Shadow receive a similar message from Fang. He prepared his body for take-off and after the usual run they were climbing steadily and heading out across the sea. Like the previous couple of days, Shadow flew slowly, but closer to their normal speed because the sooner they arrived in Racafi, the sooner they could rest.

Flying over oceans never ceased to amaze Pell. Being able to look down from Shadow's back and see the beginnings of waves, far out to sea, was an incredible experience that never failed to take his breath away.

He could sense Shadow's feeling of contentment as she and Fang flew as close to the water as they dared, claws never quite touching the shimmering surface below them. The first time he had ever crossed an ocean on Shadow's back she had taken great liberty to explain to him about the Water Dragons that lived in the depths of the oceans, and how they disliked any other dragon breed touching – 'contaminating' – the deep sea. Having grown up with a respect for all living things, perhaps not including his own race of easily-corrupted humans, he had understood the importance of respecting the wishes of the Water Dragons and not skimming the waves on Shadow's back, no matter how much he would have liked to. Once they reached the shallows of Racafi, he looked forwards to swimming with Shadow, a rare treat when they were in no great hurry. Approval filtered through the bond and he was glad. Nothing made him feel better than knowing that Shadow was proud of him. After all, she was the single most important being in his life, and always would be. No life without her seemed possible, even the first fourteen rotations of his life now seemed like nothing more than an unpleasant dream which he was forgetting at an alarming rate. Two rotations, and there were many gaps in his memory. It was a struggle to recall anything that hadn't been daily routine, a fact that startled him. He wondered how long it would be before he remembered his past life only in his dreams. It was a disturbing thought, but the loss of his memory was a small price to pay for the privilege of being a dragon rider – Shadow's rider, to be exact.

Small creatures leaped out of the water at their passing. Many small fish, some dolphins and even a whale, which splashed Pell as it re-submerged. Glancing across at Kira he noticed that wonder was plain to see in her expression, despite the difference between them.

"_The creatures in the sea have strange reactions to dragons,"_ Shadow commented. _"They do not fear us, instead they treat us as one of their own, despite the fact that many of us could slaughter almost any of them if we felt so inclined."_ Pell nodded. He too had noticed the fearless way in which the creatures of the sea had emerged near the two dragons.

The hours passed quickly as their 'escort' of various sea creatures kept the two young riders suitable entertained. Eventually, Shadow and Fang soared higher into the sky, leaving the ocean far below them as the trees of Racafi came into view. Pell was relieved when his eyes located the lush green trees, with the occasional mountain in the horizon. Flying across the ocean had been enjoyable, but the closer they got to land the more that he realised that his muscles were aching even though he had done nothing but sit in the saddle.

"_We'll land as soon as we find a clearing big enough,"_ Shadow informed him. _"It has been a long fight today and Fang and I are weary, as you can no doubt tell."_ Pell nodded. He knew that the ache in his muscles was more to do with Shadow's tiredness than his own. That didn't change the fact that it was weakening his muscles. He glanced over at Kira, who was sitting proudly upright in the saddle. She was looking at him, though, and he could feel her scrutiny. She was concerned, that was clear, but even if he had fainted there was nothing she could do about it. They flew side by side over the pale yellow sands, so different to Isaa's black sands, and over the vast expanse of forest. They were flying quite high by this point and Pell didn't bother to actively look for a clearing. His eyesight, while good, paled in comparison with Shadow's, which in turn was not the eyesight of Fang.

"_Going down,"_ Shadow warned him as the two dragons entered a shallow dive. Leaning low in the saddle, to minimise the amount of airflow trying to rip him from the saddle, he closed his eyes. Almost flat against Shadow's back, his head and upper torso had to go one side of the great ridge in front of him, and he chose the left. A memory flashed through his mind and he attempted to raise his body with the intention of swapping sides, but his muscles were just too tired.

Panic flared briefly but he pushed it down, reasoning that he wasn't slipping and they were about to land.

This was enough to reassure him and he closed his eyes, content to relax in the saddle as much as was sensible while they descended. Suddenly Shadow levelled her flight and Pell gasped as a force pushed him down. It was only temporary, but it was enough to spook him. He sat up as soon as he felt able.

"_Sorry, I should have warned you,"_ Shadow said apologetically. He waved off her apology before she dived again. This time Pell leant to the right. He wasn't superstitious, he just felt safe there. It turned out to be a false sense of security as the airflow grabbed him and refused to let go. It dragged him further down and his tired muscles couldn't fight hard enough. Slowly but surely, he began to slide.

"_Shadow!"_ he screamed as panic set in.

"_I know," _she said. _"Don't panic."_

"_Don't panic? I'm about to fall and you're not good at catching!"_

"_It won't happen like it did last time," _she assured him. Last time? Instantly his mind slipped back to the last, and so far only, time he had fallen from her back. Alone, and frozen, he had been just as helpless. How could Shadow stay so calm?

"_You're forgetting something important," _his dragon told him.

"_No I'm not,"_ he gasped, panic claiming him full blast as his grip on the pommel began to fail.

"_Kira-"_

"_Don't tell her! She doesn't need to know!"_ Pell snapped instantly. _"For that matter you can keep it quiet from the others, too! It's not their business!"_ Shadow sent a feeling of exasperation across the bond but before he could comment his grip failed completely. His stirrups let his foot slip out and he fell.

"_SHADOW!"_

**End of chapter.**

**This fic actually lost the poll, but because I already had some chapters written up already I'm going to post it (the winner and runner-up have already been updated). I may have one more chapter completed, I'm not sure (I hand-write a lot of my fics then type them up afterwards), and due to uni assignments etc. I don't know when this will next be updated as priority is going to my more popular fics.**

**Thanks for reading**

**Tsari**


End file.
